The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-06-18
CARRIES HOSPITAL.
BY ELIZABETH SILL.

OF three little way apart, ana spread
white cloth over each row, SO that they
looked like small, narrow cots.
On each of these cots lay doll-six
dolls in all-of various sizes, some of
them belonging to Carrie and some to
Essie. her little sister. She was walking
up and down between the rows, going
from one bed to another, and talking
away to herself at a great rate in a low
voice, when Aunt Jenny came in.
"What is this?" said she, coming up to
Carries corner.
"Shr' said Carrie, "you mustn't speak
SO loud here; it's the hospital"
Carries father had been a chaplain in
the army before she was born, and be
had often told her about the hospitals.
"OhoI' said Aunt Jenny, "and you
are the doctor, supposed"
mo; I'm the nurse; and you mustn't,
please, say doctor, Aunt Jenny, there's
some other name papa calls ito, sur
geon. You must say surgeon, for all
these sick people have had dreadful
things happen to them. Won't you be
the surgeon?"
eyes," said Aunt Jenny; shut you
must wait until get my case of instru-
ments."
SO Aunt Jenny went out of the room
and pretty soon came back with small
morocco box in her hand, and stepped up
to the first cot.
"Ahp' said she, "a compound fracture
of the leg. Severe, but not dangerous,
very severe. The leg, I see, is entirely
gone below the knee; it must have been
shot or cut off"
80, mop said the nurse. "She went to
the menagerie, and tiger bit it off"
"Terriblel" And did he eat it up, too?"
"No; they got it away from him at last,
and here it isl
Carrie fished it up from the bottom of
a small trunk.
"All right" said the surgeon, and,
! opening her case of instruments, she went
to work, and by a most skillful operation
the leg was soon in its place as good as
ever.
Therel' said she, 60 call that pretty
nice job. Not many sawbones could beat
that. Keep her still for day or two, and
she will be able to use that leg just as
well as the other. Now for the next. o,
this is very bad case, indeed. Skull
fractured; brain exposed and protruding
from the woundp'
"She lived in the top story of house"
explained the nurse" and when it got on
fire she was running down stairs, and she
fell over the balusters."
"She must be trepanned at once, or
she will die" said the surgeon.
What is trepanned?" asked Carrie.
"You surprise me, ma'am," said the
surgeon. "a hospital nurse and not
know what the operation of trepanning
is Look at me and you will see.' And
putting in her finger, she lifted up at
least half an inch Of crushed.in skull.
There Hasn't she been delirious
talking about all kinds of things?'
"To be sure" answered the nurse
eagerly; she has talked all night about
the fire."
"Ot course" said the surgeon, "that
was the pressure on the brain, which is
now relieved. And now her eyes, which
are very much affected must be attended
to- You see we remove this soft, white
substance, the brain, and introduce this
wonderfully new instrument There p
And with pair of tweezers, Aunt Jenny,
as she spoke, skilfully put the eyes in
place, stuffed in the "brains," put large
piece of court plaster over all, and advised
perfect quiet until the plaster should be
| quite dry.
This boy" said the nurse, uncovering
another patient, "was turning somer-
saults in circus, when he broke the vein
of his leg, and the blood gushed out all
over the floor"
"Yes, l see he has lost great deal of
blood, and looks very thin; but 1 will fill
him up again and sew up the vein, and
then all he will need will be plenty OF beef
tea, and no more somersaultsp'
"You are splendid surgeon, Aunt
Jenny" exclaimed Carrie, and Essie
will be SO glad; that is her boy. Do you
think you can cure this one? She is my
favorite child, Emmeline, and yesterday
left her playing on the floor for just a
moment, and great giant came along
and stepped on her head"
But the surgeon shook her head very
gravely over this patient.
The iugular vein is severed and the
neck broken" said she; and such cases
seldom recover; however, viii take her
to my house and see what can be done;
tomorrow You may call, and 1 will give
you my opinion of her,"
"And here is the last one, Robinson
Crusoe. There's nothing much the mat
ter with him, except he had fever, aud
his hair all fell off," And nurse lifted ND
the unfortunate Robinson.
"Did you keep the hair?"